Mariclare
by Rimlock
Summary: Add shares a childhood story about the time he met a mysterious flower spirit. Before the hardships, he lived in a brief time of innocence with his small friend.


A/N: Huge thanks to Akina and Luna for proofreading this chapter! Seriously, I appreciate the great help!

* * *

It is a peaceful and calming night in Velder's forests. Crickets chirped in the background, along with a cold breeze that gently rustled the leaves. In the midst of all this, Rena, an elf with long green-colored hair, shoved her way through the thick rows of bushes. Finally out, she dusted the dirt off her clothes.

"Geez, that kid...what could he possibly be doing this late? Let alone in a dark forest." she huffed.

This all started when Rena saw Add leave the household without any notice. So naturally, she took the liberty to follow him to make sure there's nothing going on. With the wind spirits' guidance, she was able to follow his tracks.

"Oh, there you are!" The elf finally caught up to him. Add is sitting under a large and overarching oak tree. Startled, his dynamos move into a defensive stance before he realized that it was her.

"What the- what are you doing here!?" he yelled.

Rena crossed her arms, expressing a concerned look on her face. "It isn't like you to be out in a forest when you can't stand dirty places. I just want to know if everything's alright," she said.

Add exchanged looks with a grimace. "Don't be a moron. I'm not doing anything…"

"I see..." Rena sat next to him, but also giving a bit of space. She smiled. "Let me guess, can't sleep?"

"H-Hey, shouldn't you go back to bed or something?"

"Oh, but I just want to chit chat for a bit. Is that too much to ask?"

"Tch." The mechanic knew that arguing is useless once the elf has her mind set on something. "Hmph…fine. Do whatever you want," he said, bluntly.

Rena took a moment to take in their surroundings, her face brightening up at what she sees. There were fireflies illuminating in the grass, and in the distance, a small pond reflected the moon. She smiled at the beauty of the scenery, thinking back on her younger days. She stretched her arms and yawned. "So peaceful...I feel like I can sit here forever." A wind spirit curled up in her lap as she gently stroke its hair.

Add stares at the small creature, which Rena quickly notices. She could see a mysterious intent in his purple eyes. "Have you ever seen a spirit up close before?" she asks, smiling.

"Yeah...I mean, no! I-I mean yes. Wait, NO!" In utter dismay, Add tried brushing it off with an embarrassed frown. "Just forget it."

Rena couldn't help but chuckle. She knew that he's a reserved kid, but seeing his reactions can be silly at times. "It's okay. I'll lend an ear if you want to talk about it."

There was a long silence before the elf could hear the faintest sigh coming from Add. His frown morphed into a calmer expression.

"The truth is…I've been here before when I was a child." he finally spoke, his gaze is now on the fireflies. "It had something to do with a spirit I met long ago…"

"Did you meet the spirit here?" Rena asked, now even more curious.

Add promptly replied, "No...I met her back at my mother's greenhouse. I shouldn't be remembering this, but it started when I was five years old at that time..."

* * *

_**~Over 300 years ago at the Grenore residence~**_

Edward stood in front of his mother's laboratory and carefully knocked on the door, hoping that he will be let in. Resting tightly in his small arms is a book that seemed a bit heavy, but he's determined to read it with his mother.

Edward patiently waited, but there was no answer. "Hello?" he called, knocking again. Again, no answer.

_"Is mother not in her lab today?"_ he wondered.

The boy turned the doorknob, only to discover that it was unlocked. Ever so gently, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Mother?"

The room was dark with no one in sight. _"Maybe she's in the garden,''_ he thought, walking toward another door.

The greenhouse was filled with various plants as his mother was a researcher on regenerative energy and environments. The ceiling dome was designed to mimic a constant clear sky no matter the time of day. There were even Nasods programmed to tend as gardeners. Perhaps one can say the place looked more like a miniature indoor park than an actual garden.

Edward searched around and called for his mother but to no avail. He tightened his grip on the book, saddened.

"Maybe she's really not here…"

Just before Edward was ready to leave, he caught a quick whim of something zipping behind a leafy plant. It was relatively fast, but he could've sworn he saw it!

As curiosity got the best of Edward, he slowly approached the plant to check it out. He pulled back a leaf and saw a pair of eyes staring back at him.

"AAH!" he yelped.

All of a sudden, the suspicious object darted and almost crashed into his face.

Edward whipped his head around, catching a better sight of the thing as it flew. It looked like a tiny human with wings. Could it be a fairy like those from the story? He thought. The boy's lips stretched into a smile, realizing that he had just made an exciting discovery. "Wait!" he chased after it with the book still in hand.

Little did Edward expect, he would endure several obstacles while trying to catch up. He jumped over bed fields, climbed over fences, and even got wet by the sprinklers. Soon, he would stumble across one of the Nasods coming in his way.

Upon seeing the boy, the short and rounded Nasod begins waving as part of its programming. It greeted him, "Welcome, young master-"

"Wah, out of the way!"

Edward attempted to slide under its leg. However, this caused the Nasod to flip over onto its face instead. As the boy continued his pursuit, the robot remained wiggling on the ground. "Have a good day, young master," it said, unironically.

Eventually, Edward made it to the center of the greenhouse and had to stop to catch his breath. What lies on the grass is a small pot holding a flower shaped like a magnolia. Somehow, the small fairy had taken shelter under its unbloomed five delicate petals. The flower glowed with a pretty shade of creamy white and cerulean blue, shimmering as the light sweeps over it.

Edward put down his book and gently tapped on the plant, making it bounce a little. The texture was surprisingly soft. "Sorry if I scared you. It's just that I never saw a real fairy before," he said, sitting down. "Please, come out."

There was no response.

The boy rustled for something in his pocket. "Hold on, I think I might have something...Ah, here it is!" He took out his chocolate chip cookies which were neatly wrapped with layers of napkins. He then carefully laid one on the ground, hoping that it would lure out the fairy. "These are cookies that my maid gave me. You can...um, have some if you want." He slightly hesitated, this being the first time he ever shared his snack. However, he forgot that he ran into sprinklers earlier. "Oh no, they're soaked with water!"

The flower slowly bloomed by itself and the small humanoid figure stepped out. It had the appearance of a young girl with long ears, her hair long and curly that reached down the waist. Her body was also illuminated in a soft yellow glow, wings tinted in glossy emerald. She wore a simple dress, the skirt slit like a flower.

Reluctantly, she snatched a small cookie piece and ran behind the flower. Unpleased with the sweet taste, she stuck out her tongue in disgust and threw it away.

"Huh?" Edward blinked. _"Did she not like it?"_ he thought. _"But wait, she didn't eat it. Maybe it wasn't the cookie itself she's interested in?"_

After a little bit of thought, Edward realized the reason. "I will be right back. Don't go anywhere!" he told the fairy, to which she responded with a confused gaze. Her attention then went towards the book that he left behind.

...

When Edward returned after several minutes, he was relieved to see that the fairy was still there. However, he didn't expect to see that she had opened his book and was staring at the pictures of Nasods.

Edward had brought her a glass of cold water. "I think you're thirsty. So um, here you go," he said, gently putting it next to her. She looked at the boy, then at the glass, and finally back to him again as if complementing.

"It's okay. I got it from the kitchen," he reassured. Little did the creature know, he barely avoided getting caught by the servants several times on the way back.

The tiny being finally accepted his offer and took a few sips. In return for his thoughtfulness, she smiled at him.

Edward's eyes sparkled with immeasurable joy at the fact he's slowly bonding with a fairy. He could not stop here now!

"My name is Edward. Is that your flower?" he asked. He could see the fairy's mouth move to speak but was unable to hear her voice. "Oh...so I can't hear you. Um, that's okay. I still want to show you something."

Edward opened up the thick book to only reveal another book inside the carved center. In contrast to the previous one, this book was thin and colorful, clearly some kind of children's literature. "My father doesn't like it when I read this stuff, so I always hide it inside here," he explained, showing her the book's cover. She responded to his words with nodding gestures.

"Mother would always read it to me. She's really good at it too."

The now confident boy showed her a picture of a winged woman who wore a crown and elegant clothing. "This one right here is the queen of all fairies. Her name is...um…what is it again?" He flipped through the pages. "Mari...clare? Wait, I know!" Edward pointed at her. "I will call you Mariclare. Mariclare the Fairy."

The fairy took a moment to think about it before swirling around the boy. She seemed to like it as suggested by her smile.

And thus, an unusual friendship began.

* * *

"I spent the rest of the day with her until my mother came home. Since then, I would often play with her to pass the time. You could say...she was my first friend."

"This is probably the sweetest thing I've heard coming from you. I can't believe you actually called her a fairy," Rena playfully teases.

"I was a dumb kid, okay?" he grumbles.

"I didn't mean it like that," the elf tucks in her hair as a breeze passes by. "It sounded like Mariclare is a flower spirit. A species that is eternally bonded to a flower," she explains. "They rarely show themselves to others and have the ability to turn invisible. Even I haven't even seen many in my lifetime."

Add is a little surprised. "Nobody could see her except for me. Back then, I assumed it was just a normal thing..."

Rena glances at the wind spirit who is now asleep in her lap. "It's still uncommon for a flower spirit to socialize with humans. That child...she must've been incredibly lonely until you came along," she says, her voice filled with sadness.

The mechanic goes silent. Loneliness. He hasn't thought about it at that time, but perhaps Mariclare was indeed desperate for a sense of belonging. He subconsciously bites his bottom lip.

"Hmph...I guess I can talk a little more about Mari." Add sighed, shifting his right leg to feel more comfortable. "That is if you're willing to stay awake."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Please, do continue your story." the elf insists.

This is going to be a long night.


End file.
